Top Shelf Tuesday - April 14

April 12, 2009

It’s Tuesday again, so lift up the couch cushions because we’ve got the lowdown on the latest movies, music, and games hitting the stores this week.

Source: Lionsgate

DVD

Nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture, and the winner of the Best Actress Academy Award for Kate Winslet’s performance, The Reader has everything you’d want in a big Oscar-contending film. Sex, lies, and Nazis – and, of course, the lovely Kate Winslet. If you’re looking to fill out your collection of Oscar-nominated films this one’s a good addition, and though its extra features are slim -- a theatrical trailer and some deleted scenes -- it is sure to accentuate your DVD shelf with a more cultured sensibility.

The Spirit, comic book guru Frank Miller’s solo directorial debut, will be a welcome DVD addition to anyone’s collection who appreciated Sin City. Police officer Denny Colt, who later becomes The Spirit when he rises from the grave, seeks to enforce justice in Central City. The stylized look of the film will be familiar to fans of Miller’s work, and the DVD itself comes with its fare share of bonus features. Included are several featurettes: Killing the Octopus! – An Alternate Ending to the Spirit, Miller on Miller, and Greenworld International TV Special. In addition you’ll find an audio commentary with Miller and producer Deborah Del Pete, and a theatrical trailer. The Blu-ray edition comes loaded with even more features, so comic book buffs will be able to eat their hearts out.

Music

Source: Dangerbird

The Silversun Pickups follow their critically-acclaimed Carnavas with another alternative soundtrack straight from the City of Angels. The Swoon LP was produced by Dave Cooley, who had worked with the band on their first album. During the recording process the band put down as many as 17 songs which were eventually cut down to 10 for the album. If you enjoy a new take on early-‘90s alt-rock and lots of awesome guitar fuzz, Swoon is the album for you. Each track has its own addictive quality and will surely satisfy previous fans as well as newcomers looking for a great rock band.

Merge is twenty years old! This subscription-based box setScore! 20 Years of Merge Records is an amazing collection of songs spanning the label's 20-year existence, covered by some of the most popular indie bands on the planet. They include Quasi, Les Savy Fav, The Shins, Ryan Adams, Bright Eyes, The New Pornographers, Okkervil River, Death Cab For Cutie, Times New Viking, and many more. This collection is the first of only two commercially available pieces from the box set and is limited to 7,500 copies. This is a no-brainer, people.

Games

Source: Gas Powered Games

In the tradition of God of War (kind of), Demigod is an arena-style fighter starring one of eight different aspiring Gods – four assassins and four generals. You take your skills and weapons (varying from character to character) to prove your mettle against other combatants and eventually earn your place in the hall of the Gods. Also, more fighters and arenas will be released as downloadable content after the release of the game.

Make your way through a stranded ship in the Arctic Circle as rough-and-tumble meteorologist Alexander Nesterov in Cryostasis: The Sleep of Reason. This isn't easy to begin with, but you’re also going to have to deal with the undead members of the crew as they attack and try to make you part of their icy tomb. Good luck!